1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus in which a liquid tank storing liquid is detachably attached to a recording unit of a recording head configured to discharge the liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet recording apparatus is equipped with a recording head configured to discharge liquid ink to perform recording on a recording material such as a recording sheet, and a carriage carrying the recording head. While the carriage moves in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording sheet (a main scanning direction), ink is discharged onto the recording sheet from the recording head, whereby recording is performed.
With the recent reduction in the size of recording apparatuses, there has been a tendency that the space available for the attachment of the recording head to the carriage is to be diminished. In addition, a reduction in the production cost of recording apparatuses is in progress, resulting in an increase in the number of recording apparatuses in which the upper portion of the carriage of the recording unit is covered with a casing and in which the upper portion of the carriage is unopenable to the exterior of the recording apparatus. Thus, there is a demand for a construction allowing the recording head to be attached to the carriage in a stable manner with a little space.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-71545 discusses a recording apparatus including a carriage configured to hold a recording head and to perform reciprocal scanning, and a head holder mounted on the carriage and configured to perform positioning and fixation of the recording head with respect to the carriage while holding the recording head. The carriage and the head holder are provided with a guide member configured to regulate the attitude of the recording head with respect to the carriage when the recording head is attached to the carriage, thus performing positioning.
However, the conventional construction as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-71545 involves the following problem.
In the conventional construction, the upper portion of the carriage is unopenable to the exterior, so that the recording head needs to be inserted into the recording apparatus substantially from the front side of the recording apparatus, i.e., in a direction orthogonal to the carriage scanning direction and parallel to the recording sheet conveyance direction. That is, it is necessary to employ a construction in which the recording head inserted from the front side of the recording apparatus is attached to a predetermined head attachment position of the carriage. However, in such construction, it is difficult to be in conformity with the structure protecting the ink discharge surface of the recording head to be attached to the carriage from damage and smoothly guiding the recording head to the carriage.
Further, in the construction in which the upper portion of the recording unit is unopenable to the exterior of the recording apparatus, it is desirable for a recording head attachment/detachment lever to operate in the front-back direction of the recording apparatus from the viewpoint of the inner space of the recording apparatus. However, it is difficult to conform to such operation.